John Harding

  • John Smith – Om (1986)

    1981-1990ExperimentalJohn SmithUnited Kingdom

    The buzzing of an electric razor is replaced by Om chanting as a sharp-looking man gets ready.

    Gary Davis wrote:
    This four minute film explores our response to stereotypes – aural, visual and ideological. Smith signals these stereotypes to the viewer through a chiefly associational system, which deftly manipulates the path of our expectations. The structure is stunningly simple and deceptively subtle. We are taken on a journey from one concrete stereotype to its diametric opposite, as images transform and juxtapose to, ultimately, invert our interpretation of what we see and hear.

    Peter Kubelka, ‘What is Film’ lecture series, National Film Theatre, London 2001, wrote:
    This is hardcore cinema.Read More »

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